New Orleans City Council 2027 Proposed Budget Hearings, Day 7 - October 21, 2026

On October 21, 2026, the New Orleans City Council held Day 7 of its 2027 Proposed Budget Hearings. The agenda scheduled the hearing for 9:15 a.m., the minutes listed 9:00 a.m., and the chair opened at approximately 9:30 a.m.; proceedings continued into the afternoon. Five public safety and criminal justice agencies presented their proposed 2027 budgets: Criminal District Court, Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office, Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, Orleans Parish Public Defender's Office, and the Office of Public Safety and Support.

Criminal District Court

• Chief Judge Wanna Marine Lombard, Judge Tracy Fleming Daverlier, and staff presented. The court said the city did not cut its budget this year but projected a $4,289,978 deficit because it depleted reserves covering last year's roughly $3 million shortfall and because state/Supreme Court funding is committed only through June 30, 2027.
• The court had already subtracted $1.1 million in savings from three eliminated judgeships. Judges argued the current proposed budget of about $6.1 million versus more than $10 million needed would leave the court able to recover only about 60 percent of its budget and would make the court inoperable in the second half of 2027.
• They identified constitutionally or statutorily required services at risk: jury commission, pretrial services, sanity commission, domestic violence monitoring, indigent transcripts, and compliance with the federal consent judgment on fines and fees. They said the consolidated Judicial Expense Fund currently lacks money, the clerk's office is not obligated to fund criminal court, and a meeting with the clerk has not yet occurred.
• Councilmember Harris told the court the city would not provide the full $4 million request and asked for a minimum operating number; the court said it needed to reassess. Councilmember Morrell said the legislature created the problem by eliminating the criminal clerk without requiring the Orleans Parish clerk to fund criminal court, and he called on the clerk to use surplus funds to help the court.

District Attorney's Office

• District Attorney Williams said the city is in a devastating fiscal crisis, credited council investments with public safety gains, and asked the council to make his office whole. He said the proposed 2027 allocation of $6.94 million is a 56 percent decrease from 2025 and would require eliminating entire divisions, including the homicide unit, special victims unit, adult diversion unit, most investigators, and most victim advocates.
• He compared Jefferson Parish's DA budget of $16 million in 2025 and $17 million in 2026, plus a millage generating about $4.8 million, while noting Jefferson held about 22 trials last year and New Orleans' homicide team alone handles more trials.
• The DA said the parish jail held about 1,475 people and set a system goal of reducing that to 900, which he said would save the city millions. He outlined a plan with the public defender for faster screening, early allotment, case resolution days, and targeted review of aging and resource-intensive cases. He identified parole and probation processing delays as needing legislative fixes.
• Councilmember Harris spoke strongly in favor of treating criminal justice as an essential service and committed to advocating for as much funding as possible. Councilmembers also asked the DA to identify any remaining strategic cuts.

Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office

• Sheriff Woodfork presented with her leadership team. She said this was the most critical budget year in recent history and that the office inherited significant financial strain. The OPSO request was for approximately $17 million in additional funding including the medical contract, or about $10 million without it.
• The sheriff stated the jail population was 1,430 that morning, above the city-mandated cap of 1,250 and above the average of 1,420 for much of 2026. There were 254 DOC inmates, 122 awaiting transfer; DOC pays only $29 per inmate per day while general population costs about $160 per day and special populations about $250 per day. She said OPSO needs the population near 1,000 to operate on its current budget.
• Phase 3 requires 27 additional deputies, estimated at about $1.2 million, and a federal judge described it as a necessity. The sheriff proposed transferring 18 youthful offenders to JJIC with a January 1 target, which would free a 60-person block.
• About 40 percent of budgeted positions are unfilled; an OPSO official clarified that figure reflects being below optimum staffing, with actual budgeted vacancies lower. Monitor costs provided included $609,377 last year and $539,941.33 through September this year.
• The sheriff stressed that OPSO cannot reduce the jail population alone and depends on the courts, DA, DOC, and probation/parole. Councilmembers noted the federal consent decree creates mandatory costs and that funding Phase 3 now may prevent a later court order.

Orleans Parish Public Defender's Office

• Chief Public Defender Danny Engelberg and staff said the proposed 2027 cuts compound a 31 percent cut last year and the loss of over $1 million in traffic camera funds, a total decline of over 40 percent. The office cut 27 contract attorneys, eliminated the bond attorney division, froze hiring leaving nearly 40 positions unfilled, and began furloughs.
• They asked the council to restore the cuts, noting the office represents nearly 20,000 cases. The proposed budget is about $7 million; OPD requested $12.38 million including LCCR and said $11.44 million would enable a commitment to get the jail population under 1,000. They argued underfunding public defense would increase jail population and overall city costs.
• Meg Garvey estimated the current jail population costs $261,660 per day and $1,831,620 per week using the sheriff's cost figures. Mental health unit director Lindsay Hortenstein described diversion and wraparound services that keep people out of jail.
• Kristen Rome of LCCR said LCCR represents about 90 percent of arrested youth, 500 last year and 387 so far this year; an additional 8 percent cut would force more cuts. LCCR asked for $525,000 and said every city dollar leverages three additional dollars.
• Councilmember Morrell recalled the previous PD funding crisis that nearly halted the justice system and said public defense is constitutionally essential. Councilmembers asked OPD to identify minimum needed funding and noted the city cannot make every agency whole.

Public Safety & Support

• Director Ross Bourgeois presented the Office of Public Safety and Support budget. The proposed 2027 budget totals about $5.559 million, a reduction of about $2.36 million from 2026's $7.921 million. Personnel funding drops from $3.560 million to $3.367 million, and other operating from $4.361 million to $2.193 million.
• The largest cut is elimination of $1.8 million in private security contracts at City Hall, the VA hospital campus, juvenile court, and Armstrong Park, which means no front-door screening at those locations. Nine grounds patrol positions are cut: three at Lafitte Greenway, three at cemeteries, two at Joe Brown Park, and one supervisor. The cut is partially offset by adding one IT specialist and losing ARPA-funded positions.
• The budget includes $250,000 for five additional cameras per council district, $900,000 for Cox network backhaul, and $125,000 for audio/video repairs and maintenance. Bourgeois said the office is reducing network costs, transitioning to a new video platform, and seeking grants to replace dispatch consoles before 2030.
• Councilmembers asked about drone operations; Bourgeois said there has been preliminary discussion about the real-time crime center becoming more involved, as in other jurisdictions.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Nadia Muhammad, an unpaid human rights advocate, expressed support for the OPSO budget and questioned juvenile justice practices, urging services for detained youth rather than solitary confinement.
• Press Kabakov of the City Service Coalition called for coordinated criminal justice action, quality-of-life investments, and safe jail population reduction, saying the system cannot be solved by police alone.
• Will Snowden, a Loyola law professor and director of the Jura Project, said the sheriff has little control over the jail population and urged support for public defender access to clients. He noted the jail's capacity is about 1,438 and the council-set target is 1,250.
• Lisa Marie Rhodes of ALAS described positive outcomes for young people connected through LCCR and OPD wraparound services.
• Sierra Cheney of LCCR read young people's responses to the proposed budget and urged continued youth programming and public defense investment.
• Judge Calvin Johnson said aggressive coordination among judges, DA, and public defenders could get the jail below 1,000 while maintaining public safety. He noted low-risk releases represented by public defenders have a rearrest rate around 6.5 percent.
• Sarah Mosla of Louisiana and the Big Easy Budget Coalition said underfunding prevention and defense means paying $43,000 to $91,000 per person per year for jail.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes were taken during the hearing. Councilmembers did not commit to full funding requests and asked agencies to return with minimum operating figures.
• The Criminal District Court will provide separated capital and maintenance numbers and await a meeting with the clerk. The CAO is expected to continue legislative work on the clerk funding obligation.
• OPSO will proceed with RFPs for medical and food services and work toward a January 1 transfer of youthful offenders to JJIC.
• The District Attorney and Public Defender plan to present their jail reduction plan to the administration. LCCR asked for $525,000 to avoid further staff cuts.
• The council will continue budget hearings on subsequent days.